Mounted Memories Sports Memoribilia Show

Baseball season is over, but the pursuit of baseball cards continues. Yesterday we attended the Mounted Memories show out at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. Part of the highlight was an opportunity to meet Carlos Quentin. Mordecai had the added bonus of meeting Gary Carter, a hero of the victorious 1986 Mets. This was a good week of meeting stars!

Gary Carter

First we met Gary Carter, who was very friendly. Mordecai introduced himself as a Long Island native, so they exchanged some words about that and the Long Island Ducks. Supposedly, Gary Carter is known to be particular about what he signs and for how much, though you wouldn't get that impression from actually interacting with him. Mordecai explained to me that it might be his agent who is picky. I took a picture of what seemed to be Gary Carter's Agent.

Sweatpants!

While in line, you can catch glimpses of other famous people who are greeting fans and signing things. We saw Rollie Fingers to our left, so I tried to snap some non-blurry pictures. This is the best, clear view of his famous mustache. Johnny Knox was signing things to my right, but his facial hair wasn't as interesting. He did have some powerful eyebrows. That's about all I can remember.

Carlos Quentin

While in line for Gary Carter, I saw Carlos Quentin come out from behind the curtains. He is so rectangular! His head is also kind of boxy! He may have had a bone spur in his foot and subsequently contributed to the White Sox failing this past season, but if you haven't noticed, he's also the tall, dark, and handsome type.

Here is Shaun with CQ. Notice Quentin's Chris-Getz-like shirt. This shirt isn't bad, but someone needs to dress athletes more regularly, especially for signings. What's that red trim on his shirt? Anyway, look at Quentin's impeccable eyebrows! Look at Shaun's GRIN!

When I met Alexei Ramirez and Chris Getz, I was star struck, but I think I may have been more star struck meeting Quentin. I have the impression that Quentin is a bigger star than Alexei, perhaps only because he is physically bigger than Alexei. I just kind of stammered and floated about in front of him until Mordecai took our picture. By the time it was Shaun's turn to get his ball signed, I lost my opportunity to shake Quentin's hand. Mordecai reports his handshake was a little moist, but firm. I missed out! Shaun asked about his plantar fascitis; Quentin said it's a lot better. Luckily, Mordecai doesn't seem to be attached to having Quentin on his fantasy team. The Poppersteins will gladly take him into the family next year!

Others

I like this portrait of the rest of the card show gang--Dan, Joe, Bryan. Dan got a box of basketball cards, Joe got a bunch of loose jersey & auto cards, and somehow, Bryan is uninterested in cards (!!!). Someone needs to get that boy a box of cards and experience the thrill of the chase. Maybe he's not into chasing things, though. I've only seen him excited about Kobe Bryant, Rock Band, and playing softball.

Mordecai noticed an empty box labeled "Mets." It appears the box was for pink mini helmets. For the ladies, perhaps? Maybe this is a good time to segue into a few words on my experience as a female at the card show.

Since I began collecting cards last spring, it's become apparent that many card stores do not have a big female clientele. This is not surprising, but what does surprise me a little is that people are quite vocal about a girl coming into their store, not merely there to accompany their male friends. I'm not bothered by this or anything, but I find it interesting that people are not at all shy about the matter. In fact, I like collecting these little experiences. If there was a photo capturing the essence of each one, I'd try to make cards out of these anecdotes.

So yesterday, the old man collecting ticket stubs at the entrance made a few remarks about why I was there and jokingly/creepily said he wanted to see me after the card show. Later on, while perusing $5 jersey cards, the vendor came over to me, Mordecai, Joe, and Shaun and he said to me, "I'm sure you had to drag these fellows to the card show!" I said that yes, they were kicking and screaming about it. At another vendor's set-up, Mordecai and I picked out a few cards to purchase and I went to pay. I reported to Mordecai that the vendor gave us a $2 discount. Mordecai said, "Yeah, that's why I made you go pay." (Hmm. How can I exploit Mordecai to get insignificant discounts?)

Maybe none of this would happen if I looked more like the Greg Olsen woman. This lady wearing a Greg Olsen jersey was as wide as she was tall, thereby being pretty much completely round. For some reason she was sitting by herself on the ground next to the escalators by the empty entrance of the convention center. She looked like a fat stray cat, contently lounging in a place where she didn't quite belong. Later I saw her with what seemed to be her family, and they looked like they appeared from the mountains, but wearing Greg Olsen jerseys. But I guess I wouldn't have my little anecdotes to collect, so I will continue to bumble about these card shows, letting Mordecai think we're getting $2 discounts because I paid for the cards. Yes, surely, those four Mike Piazza cards from the 90's are worth $11.

Dan Aykroyd in Chicago

While going through the coupons from the Chicago Tribune last Sunday, Mordecai and I came across an advertisement for an event at Jewel, a local grocery. Dan Aykroyd has been behind some vodka called "Crystal Head Vodka," so he's on a publicity tour signing bottles at liquor and grocery stores, apparently. I actually have not seen "Blues Brothers" and I was too young and scared to understand "Ghostbusters." But I decided to put grading aside to attend this event because last winter, I took a course on Marxism with Charles Mills, and we watched "Trading Places" while eating Thai food. The Marxist analysis of "Trading Places" kind of went over my head, as did the financial specifics of the plot, but this movie nevertheless has a special place in my heart. Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" has never been put to such great use. I think Mozart would be impressed.

My mom took me to Jewel after class on Monday. She was mildly annoyed at the prospect of having to wait in line for an hour, so she went home and then picked me up later. We walked by this trailer truck thing and I thought maybe this was Dan Aykroyd's tour bus?!

There were a couple of Ghostbuster groupies hanging by the side of Dan Aykroyd's tent, content to just watch their personal hero in action.

Wait for it, wait for it...

His hands were so soft and doughy! I told him I watched "Trading Places" in my Marxism class, and he laughed. We'll likely never know whether he was laughing at me or with me. That's fine with me.

I have to say, it always feels odd standing in line waiting for an extended period of time for something or someone famous. Most people tend to become chatty, and most conversations are more or less open for anyone to join in on. Many people strike me as quite unremarkable despite the fact that they are so willing to open their mouths and talk to everyone about anything that comes to mind. Anyway, I have a hard time not feeling awkward talking to strangers even though I know we obviously have at least one interest in common. Suffice it to say that there was one inane, bro-y man behind me, and an overly chatty and tedious wedding singer in front of me. Was it pure coincidence that the bro-man had hired the singer two years ago for his wedding? Yeah, no.

Halloween 2009

"Hi my name is Rachel Berry, and I'm here to sing 'On My Own' from the seminal Broadway classic, Les Mis."

Since no one really understood my "costume" (I even had my raincoat on as protection from slushies), the other interpretation of my outfit was "Japanese schoolgirl." I really liked the outfit though (complete with knee high socks and my loafers), and kind of wished we wore uniforms in high school. But only kind of.

Another noteworthy costume: Burger King. He even brought and shared $1 double cheeseburgers! It was funny to see the Burger King sway and dance to music while drinking wine straight from the bottle.

Last but not least, here is Joe as a World Phucking Champion!

Chicago, early 80's

Fall Fall Fall

Yesterday I busted out the penny loafers. I wore them with a black dress and tights; I looked like I was either a week early for Halloween or like I attended a funeral. All I did though was go to my piano lesson, drop by the baseball card shop, and play Animal Crossing which as usual ended up in a nap. At night we went to see UFC 104 in Jonny's basement, so in case someone died, I was prepared to mourn right away. I've seen a man convulse as a result of not the breathing kind of choking, but the blocking-blood-flow-in-a-major-artery kind of choking. I forgot who he was, but I think it was the guy with a gigantic samurai tattooed on his back. Other UFC banter: Lyoto Machida looks like a manga character. I like how he shifts and twists his hips, like he's dancing, but really, he's preparing to kick his opponent. He was the one receiving most of the leg-beat downs yesterday, but whatever, I didn't have to mourn his or Shogun's surprise death.

Also, there's Mordecai locking his door in a new coat from Zara. He seems to be a fan of the epaulets. Why does he have more luck at Zara than I do?

These photos were taken on my iPhone with an app called Toy Camera. Sometimes I walk around with my Canon G9 and/or Sony W300, but end up taking pictures with my iPhone most of the time because of convenience. This is sad, but perhaps it's a sign that some giant companies need to start getting beyond-Toy-Camera creative.

Happy #Glee Day!

Wednesdays are my "day off." I have nowhere to be except in front of reading material and a computer, presumably typing away at something. But today...the weather was so nice, and the forecast predicts plunging temperature later this week, and my mom called me to play. Outdoor suburban mall, OLD ORCHARD, IT IS!

As usual, I made my Zara rounds, found things I liked and decided not to buy them. Astute. I wanted to see if there were any G.H. Bass penny loafers at Nordstrom, originally a shoe store. I have been eyeing penny loafers for about a year now, but was worried about what to wear with them. I have no such problems now with the spirit of Rachel Berry and Emma Pillsbury following me everywhere I go, whether it is my own closet or Forever 21 or J. Crew. The problem with the Zappos and the G.H. Bass website is that the black patent leather ones are "coming soon." Well, how soon? Today's high was 70F, but we are facing the impending doom that is late fall and early winter weather. All of a sudden, we will find ourselves in a snowstorm like the Patriots did last weekend against the Terrible Tennessee Titans, but we will not be victorious like Tom Brady & Co. (59-0? FIVE TOUCHDOWNS IN ONE QUARTER? Really?)

Instead of classic Bass loafers, I came across these black patent loafers by Cole Haan, featuring some of that comfy Nike Air, ON SALE! Like, almost 50% off! My mom egged me on to get these. And so, penny loafers and I are reunited for the first time since about 1991. I used to put pennies IN the shoe, not in that little slit at the tongue. Now I can dress like Rachel Berry as a 25.5 year old! HAPPY GLEE DAY!

(If you can't tell, I wrote this soon after episode 9 of Glee aired.)

Creatures

I got this "Cute Creatures Dotted Dress" at Forever 21 the other day. There are rabbits, unicorns, cats, mushrooms, and an unidentified blobby creature (not pictured) wearing a hat on it. I like to think that Emma or Rachel would wear something like this. I also discovered warm, soft, striped knee-high socks made by Hunter to wear with my wellies at Akira on State Street.

At the Water Tower, there was an ad for Glee by the bathrooms. Yay, Glee!

#GLEE: Rachel Berry

"You might laugh because every time I sign my name I put a gold star after it. But it's a metaphor. And metaphors are important. My gold star is a metaphor for me being a star."

Next, I'd like to catalog Rachel Berry's wardrobe. Even though she gets good grades and is the best singer in the state of Ohio (assuming April Rhodes is on Broadway or in Branson), everyone hates her. Rachel is "that girl." You probably knew someone like her in high school, except that the person you knew probably did not have pipes like Rachel's. Her voice, its strength and inflections remind me of the singing female vocals in Disney movies. I kind of fell in love with her when she said with absolute conviction, "And metaphors are important." I never really fully understood the discussions of metaphor in the philosophy of literature, but I feel like they should always commence with Rachel's line above about her gold stars.

Initially, I didn't really pay much attention to Rachel's clothes. They made her look kind of frumpy in the first couple of episodes, perhaps to enhance the "that girl" personality. In the first shot above, she sits with Mr. Schuster (hereafter referred to as "Mr.Shoo"), frustrated with Glee Club's lack of a male vocal who can "keep up" with her. In the second frame, she attends a Celibacy Club meeting to be with Finn. She is disgusted by having to pair up with Jacob for the "Immaculate Affection." ("If the balloon pops, the noise makes the angels cry.") In the third picture, Rachel doesn't get the female lead vocal for "Gold Digger," and her barfy argyle shows why. On the far right, she's about to "kick [Mr. Shoo] in the nads" by telling him that the choreography sucks. Her shirt and skirt are improvements, but her vest is still...meh.


She might be best known for her traditional school-girl look, by which I mean, her plaid. On the left, New Directions sans Finn and Mr. Shoo go to see Mt. Carmel's Vocal Adrenaline rehearse to ask if Dakota Stanley will choreograph for New Directions. She is about to fire Dakota Stanley in the second frame as she realizes that New Directions doesn't need him. The third shot shows Rachel with a huge plaid bow on her shirt as she waits to see what Sue Sylvester is going to do to the Glee Club. The bow is kind of ridiculous, but somehow forgivable. In the final frame, Rachel shows off one of her other skills, storming out, because Mr. Shoo gave the lead vocal to the West Side Story song to Tina instead of to Rachel.


Here is Rachel in horizontal stripes. The pink and yellow striped shirts look like they are variations of the same shirt, but the pink one has many more buttons and is ruched at both the shoulders and the ends of the sleeves. On the far left, Rachel is standing with her famous sugar cookies that spell out "I'm sorry" for Mr. Shoo for insulting his choreography skills. In the yellow stripes, she is waiting to hear who New Directions is up against at sectionals (a school described as "a halfway house for juvie girls" and a school for deaf kids). In the middle, in red and black stripes embellished with gold buttons, Rachel stands in the hallway as she watches Finn console Quinn, as it had just been revealed that Sue Sylvester knows about Quinn's pregnancy. (I think Sue was hurt that she was one of the last to know before Jacob blogged about it. Sue hurt?! In Glee, anything is possible.)


I knew Rachel was going to be blog-worthy when I saw these prints. On the far left, Rachel sings Rihanna's "Take A Bow" in a diamond-print blouse under a navy sweater vest. In the middle, she is getting yelled at by Sandy Ryerson ("YOU SUCK!") and Rachel cries in the bathroom only to have a confrontation with April Rhodes. Some of the stars on her orange shirt clash, in pink! How edgy. On the far right, she has just refused to show her over-the-shoulder-boulder-holders to Jacob, who threatened to write a scathing review on his blog about her musical if she didn't get her "sweater puppies out of their cashmere cage." Puppies aside, her sweater is so adorable!


Here are some other good outfits. On the left, Rachel auditions for the musical with Celine Dion's "Taking Chances" in a blue cotton shirt-dress. It looks like something you could buy at Rugby during the spring for $200. In the next frame, she looks longingly at Finn in an argyle sweater vest over a gingham-check shirt. I love her hair there. In the third shot, she tries to get the girls to take rehearsals seriously for the mashup competition in a magenta vest with a little bit of ruffles over what appears to be the same purple shirt she wore under the sweater vest I called "meh" earlier. In the last frame, she accuses Quinn of being a mole for Sue Sylvester, dressed in a green shirt with more flamboyant ruffles. She wears another cute ruffled shirt with a plaid skirt when she sings "No Air" with Finn; that frame didn't fit neatly into my outfit-photo-series so you can see that shot here.


This outfit deserves its own time in the limelight. Finn and Rachel go bowling to relieve stress, but his intentions seem mixed. He wants to spend more time with Rachel, but the larger goal is to get her to rejoin Glee Club. Otherwise, New Directions won't win regionals and Finn will be less likely to get a music scholarship for college. Rachel picked the best date outfit! No wonder he pushed thoughts of Quinn aside after the kiss and said "I don't know what's gonna happen in the future, I just know that I wanna spend more time with you now." Her sweater looks like a handkerchief was knitted into it. I'm not sure whether to say it looks nautical- or sailor-themed, or that it just looks French in some way. The blue skirt is apparently by Kimchi & Blue, whose overpriced clothes I often see at Urban Outfitters. I also like her socks. I even sacrificed Finn's head to make sure they were in the picture! When I saw this outfit in the episode "Rhodes Not Taken," I knew Rachel Berry was a fashionista in her own right.

Many of Rachel's outfits are simple: a matching top and skirt. But I find matching a skirt and top difficult sometimes. Forever 21 and H&M have millions of simple skirts that can be paired with a variety of tops, but I never trust my judgment and end up abandoning skirts for dresses I can wear rather casually. But I will say that taking over 30 screen caps of Rachel's outfits in every episode influenced my perception of clothes. I went to Forever 21 yesterday and so many outfits spoke to me. They were like, "Look at me, I cost close to nothing and will probably fall apart soon, but Rachel would totally wear me!" or "Look, this sweater vest is kind of frumpy looking , but it's on the path towards the sailor/French date outfit!" I ended up with a dress that I like to tell myself is something that either Rachel or Emma would wear. I'll share pics in another post, as I think about which Glee character's closet to survey next.